10 Ski Tech Breakthroughs Coming to the Mountain

Just ahead of the Sochi Olympics, the SnowSports Industries America trade show in Denver this past weekend saw the debut of some incredible technology. Some of it is strictly for Olympians, but here are a few you'll be able to get your hands on.

Uvex Variotronic Goggles

Uvex Variotronic Goggles

Price: $499

We saw a lot of goggle tech at this show, including one with a heads-up display, but this Uvex is the first-ever goggle to convert the lens into an LCD—something previously confined to military use. In the future, LCD goggles may allow for the embedding of onscreen information, but for now Uvex is using it to auto-tint the lens color faster than any other technology could. This is particularly useful in mixed light, when a skiier might move from sun to shade or from fog into piercing sunshine. Pro downhillers will likely be the first to make full use of the Variotronic lenses.

The LCD system requires only a simple USB charge. But this goggle won't be cheap or even common: Uvex says it plans to build just 500 units to start, but hopes to expand production within the year.

K2 Route Helmet

K2 Route Helmet

Price: $150

A day of skiing in a hefty lid can be uncomfortable. But at 320 grams, K2's new Route, a sandwich of EPS foam and a polycarbonate shell, may be the lightest snow helmet on the market. Another major impediment to helmet use is heat—many of them simply don't breathe all that well. So K2 focused on maximum venting: To trap heat in the cold, they created what's known as PowFly, essentially a wind-blocking membrane that fits over the top. The helmet is certified for both skiing and snowboarding, as well as cycling.